1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier frame that stores and carries electronic components and a production method for electronic components, and the present invention particularly relates to a carrier frame to be used for conveyance of electronic components, such as optical components or semiconductor devices, and a production method for electronic components using the carrier frame in the production process of electronic components.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the production process of electronic components, in order to carry components from a production apparatus used in one process to another production apparatus used in a next process, or in order to make working, such as carrying, input or eject of components within one production apparatus used in one process, easier, a carrier frame is used. Conventionally, the carrier frame stores electronic components in many concave recesses formed in a support plate, and the carrier frame where these electronic components are stored is carried to a production apparatus.
In the case of using the carrier frame, if electronic components are simply stored in the concave recesses arranged in the support plate, the electronic components rattle inside the recesses. If the electronic components rattle within the recesses as described above, the carrier frame and the electronic components may be abraded due to collision between each other and cause dust. For example, when the electronic component is an optical component having an image pickup element, in order to make a light incident into the image pickup element, an optical incident surface of the package is transparent. In this case, when the generated dust attached to the optical incident surface, a problem where the dust is imaged into an image occurs. Further, in a process where a glass cap covers and the image pickup element is sealed within the package, if dust has already been attached to the image pickup element before the glass cap is adhered, it becomes impossible to remove the dust after the glass cap is sealed.
In order to prevent the rattle of the electronic components within the carrier frame, in the prior art, a carrier frame equipped with a means for pressing and retaining electronic components on the occasion of storing the electronic components is proposed. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-49210 discloses a carrier frame where a pressing & retention means composed with a positioning unit, a pressing piece and a compression spring is individually arranged to each positioning unit (recess) where many electronic components are stored. In this configuration, the compression spring urges the pressing pieces in a wall surface direction of forming the positioning unit. The electronic components are pressed to the wall surface forming the positioning unit by the pressing piece, and retained. Further, the electronic components are stored or ejected to each positioning unit while the pressing piece is slid to the retention release position by contracting the compression spring.